Delivery control mechanism for conveyers



H. J. FERGUSON DELIVERY CONTROL MECHANISM FOR CONVEYERS Juhe 30, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 11, 1951 FIG.

HARRY J FERGUSON 6' ATTORNEY June 30; 1953 H. J. FERGUSON 2,643,751

DELIVERY CONTROL MECHANISM FOR CONVEYERS Filed April 11, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR.

HARRY J. FERGUSON ATTORNEY.

Patenied June 30, 1953 DELIVERY CONTROL MECHANISM FOR CONVEYERS Harry J. Ferguson, Elkins Park, Pa., assignor to Harry J. Ferguson 00., J enkintown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 11, 1951, Serial No. 220,405

6 Claims.

This invention relates to delivery control mechanism for conveyors and more particularly to apparatus for controlling the delivery of packages or commodities from a branch conveyor to a main conveyor or from two meeting conveyors.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide delivery control mechanism for conveyors having a meeting branch, or two meeting sections, in which the arrival of a package at a predetermined location on one portion of the conveyor will operate the mechanism and permit the passage of the article while preventing the delivery of a subsequently arriving package on another portion of the conveyor. I

It is a further object of the invention to provide apparatus of the character aforesaid which is simple and reliable in its construction, which does not require any external source of energy, and which may be quickly and easily installed in existing conveyor installations.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide control mechanism of the vcharacter aforesaid in which the arrival of a package on one branch of meeting branches of a conveyor is delivered without interruption while a subsequently arriving package or packages are held against delivery at the meeting branch for a sufficient time interval to prevent collision of the packages.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a fragmentary portion of a conveyor with a meeting branch having the control mechanism in accordance with the invention applied thereon; I

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view, enlarged, of a portion of the control mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the struc-'- ture shown in Fig. 2 with the gate removed therefrom; I

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken approximately on the line 55 of Fig. 3 and showing one condition of the operation; and I Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 taken approximately on line 66 of Fig. 3. I

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, a conveyor H) is shown which may be of any desired type, a gravity roller type being shown merely by way of example. A branch conveyor type of similar character is shown as disposed in meeting relation to the conveyor II].

The control mechanism in accordance with the present invention and shown generally at l2 is preferably located in the angle between the conveyor sections IE] and II.

The control mechanism I2 preferably includes a supportingstand or frame [3 mounted in any desired manner and preferably rigidly fixed at the desired location with respect to the conveyor I0 and the branch conveyor l l. The stand it is preferably provided with a split clamping sleeve 14, with tightening bolts I5 for supporting an upright post [6. The lower end of the post I6 may be supported in rubber bushings l'l clamped in the sleeve l4, and thepost it may be elevated to the desired extent to accommodate it to the level of the conveyors l0 and I l.

The post it has an upper fixed'shaft portion I9,on which the controlling mechanism, hereinafter more fully explained, is supported.

The post shaft portion [9 preferably has adjustably secured thereto a bracket 20 with a central sleeve 21, secured to the shaft portion It by a set screw 22. The sleeve 2| has upper and lower bearing surfaces 23 and 24. The bracket 20 also has a bracket arm 25 extending outwardly from the sleeve 2|, and, at the outer end'thereof, a pin socket 26, is provided.

The bracket 2|] also has at the portion thereof opposite the bracket arm 25, an upper spring abutment bracket 26 and a lower spring abutment bracket 21 within which spring pins 28 and 29 are mounted, having heads 30 and 3| with springs 32 and 33 interposed between the heads 30 and 3| and the abutment brackets 26 and 21.

An arcuate locking lever 35 is provided having a pivot pin 36 mounted therein for movement in the pin socket 26. The locking lever 35 has arms 38 and 39, on the outer ends of which cam follower rollers 46 and 4| are rotatably mountsired manner, such as by a set screw 49. The sleeve 46 has an outwardly extending flange 50, at one side of which a downwardly extending cam block is mounted by studs 52. The cam block 5| has vertically disposed an end locking face 53, a curved edge 54, and an outer flaring face 55. At the end of the cam block 5|, opposite the end face 53, a notch 56 is provided, within which the head 30 of the spring pin 28 engages.

The flange 5%}, at the opposite side thereof from the cam block 5|, has a gate supporting bracket 5'! secured thereto by studs 58, at any desired angular position, and, from the bracket 5'1, an

actuating and locking gate 60 extends outwardly over the conveyor section H].

A lower movable sleeve 1| is provided, on the shaft portion is and below the bracket 25, needle bearing rollers '12 being interposed between the sleeve H and the shaft portion H3. The needle bearing rollers 12 at their .upper ends bear on the lever bearing surface 24 of the fixed sleeve 2|, and "at their lower ends bear on a collar 73 which frnay be secured to the shaft portion 1'9 in any desired manner, such as by a set screw 74. The sleeve Ti has an outwardly extending flange 15, "at one 'si'de of which an upwardly extending cam block 18 is mounted by studs H. The cam block 16 has vertically vdisposed an and locking face '18, a curved edge i'9,'and an outer flaring face at. At uie'enaor thefcain block is, oppoent meeting angles ofcbnveyors which areencountered. U Y, Y v I The. sleeve at is preferably provide with a stop 38 for limiting the'exte'nt'of movement'of met ena e- The mod e of oper tion 7 With hopackages ontlie conveyorsm and H, the gates 6!) and 8 4 will'be at'equilibrium. locations shownin Figs. 1 andl zj an'd the arcuate'lQckin lever 35 willb'e in a neutral positionas'shown in Fig. awnhuie roller "4am ngagement "with the "edge 5'3 and withthe'rollenfl inengagement with the edge 19, Upon thearrival of a package either on the'conveybr liior' onthe' conveyor this equilibrium position "will'n'o longer be maintained.

For purposes of explanation it maybe assumed thatpackages advance along the jconveyors l0 and towards their junction, andth'at prior to the arrival of afpackage at the "gate' 84 a package arrives at the'gateBO, strikes the gate'fit, and

7 moves the gate 5|! counter-'clockwiseas shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to a positiontoper'mitthe packare to move past the gatefifi. v I

As soon as a force, suchjas'that appliedby an advancing package, is effective on the gate 50 and moves it to pass, 'thisten'ds'to move the upper sleeve 46 and the cam'block 5| carried thereby ina counter' clockwise' direction.

, Upon' movement of'thecam block {5 1, the edge 54 presses on"'the" roller lil and "causes the roller wilhnowb'e b qi ted' out.

4 and its arm 38 to move outwardly. Further turning movement of the sleeve 46 advances successive portions of side face of cam block 5| against the roller 40.

The swinging movement thus imparted to the lever 35 simultaneouslymoves the roller 4| inwardly along the end face 18 of the cam block it. The engagement of the roller 4| with end face 18 locks and holds the cam block it and its sleeve 1| against movement, so that the gate 84 is locked and held against movement.

Any package advancing to the gate 84, while it is in this locked condition is held until the gate 6|] returns to its initial position and permits the lever 35 to again assume its neutral position as referred to above.

Upon movement of the cam block 55 by the gate 5|) the notch 55 engages the head 30 and the spring 32 is compressed to provide a restoring force which is effective when the package passes the gate and permits its return to its initial position,

'If a package arrives at the gate t l prior to the arrival of a package at the gate 89, the gate 84 is moved clockwise, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to permit the package to pass that gate. -As the gate 84 moves in this'manner the lower sleeve H and the cam block 16 carried thereby are moved. The-edge 79 of the cam block 16 'moves the roller il and the arm 39 outwardly and further turning movement of the sleeve H advances successive portions or the side face '80 against the roller 41.

The swinging movement thus imparted to the lever 35 moves'the roller 4|! inwardly along the end face 53 of the ca m block 5|, thus locking and holding the cam block 5|, the sleeve46 and the gate 60 against movement.

The spring 33 is eiifective, upon the release of the gate 84 by the passing package, toprovide a restoring force for returning the gate 84 to its initial position.

I claim:

1. In control mechanism, a vertical support, -a movable member 'pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to extend outwardly in'a predetermined position, a cam member supported bys'aid movable member and havinga lockingend face and a vertical control face-a second movable "member pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to extend outwardly in a predetermined position, a secdndcam"mem ber supportedby said'se'cond movable member and having a locking end face and a vertical control face,'a shiftable-contr'ol member having spaced followersfdr engagement with the faces of said cam members, said controlmember upon movementof one movable member from its-predetermined position having one follower positioned by the vertical face of one cam member to dispose the other follower in engagement with the locking end face of the other cam member and thereby hold said other movable member against movement from its predetermined position.- i

2. Control mechanism as defined in claim 1, having restoring members for'urging -thermov able members towards theirpredetermined positions.

3. In control mechanism, avertical support, a movable member pivotallymounted on-saidsupport and adaptedto-exten'd outwardly in a'predetermined position, a cam member supp rted by said movable member," and having-a locking end face and an outer'control face, a-second movable member pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to extend outwardly in a predetermined position, a second cam member supported by said second movable member and having a locking end face and an outer control face, a pivotally mounted control member having spaced followers for engagement with the faces of said cam members, said control member upon movement of one movable member from its predetermined position having one follower positioned by the outer face of one cam member to dispose the other follower in'engagement with the locking end face of the other cam member and thereby hold said other movable member against movement from its predetermined position.

4. Control mechanism as defined in claim 3 having resilient restoring members for engagement by said vcam members upon movement thereof from their initial positions.

5. In control mechanism, a vertical support, a sleeve pivotally mounted on said support, a movable member carried by said sleeve and adapted to extend outwardly in a predetermined position, a downwardly extending cam block carried by said sleeve and having a locking end face and an outer control face, a second sleeve pivotally mounted on said support, a second movable member carried by said second sleeve and adapted to extend outwardly in a predetermined position, a second cam block carried by said second sleeve and extending upwardly and having a locking end face and an outer control face, a control member pivotally carried by said support and having spaced followers for engagement with the faces of said cam blocks, said control member upon movement of one movable member from its predetermined position having one follower positioned by the outer face of one cam black to dispose the other follower in engagement with the locking end face of the other cam block and thereby hold said other movable member against movement from its predetermined position.

6. Control mechanism, as defined in claim 5 having resilient members carried by said support for engagement by said cam blocks upon movement thereof urging said cam blocks towards their initial positions.

HARRY J. FERGUSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,583,005 Parker May 4, 1926 2,080,964 Forstrom May 18, 1937 2,130,330 Sibley Sept. 13, 1938 2,357,875 Chandler et a1. Sept. 12, 1944 2,371,419 Bergmann Mar. 13, 1945 

